Denisovan Leg Bones Found Off Taiwan Point to 190 cm Stature as Myth Claims Spread
Updated
Updated · Yahoo · Aug 12
Denisovan Leg Bones Found Off Taiwan Point to 190 cm Stature as Myth Claims Spread
3 articles · Updated · Yahoo · Aug 12
Summary
Protein analysis tied a femur and tibia dredged from the Penghu Channel off Taiwan to Denisovans, marking the first known leg bones from the archaic human group.
Two individuals are represented: one estimated at about 180 cm and 83 kg, the other roughly 190 cm and 91 kg—larger than earlier Homo erectus and Late Pleistocene Homo sapiens in eastern Asia.
Researchers said the seafloor location reflects lower sea levels during glacial periods, not evidence for a flood event, after online speculation linked the find to the biblical Nephilim.
The study, still not peer-reviewed, could reshape reconstructions of Denisovan anatomy and range, though more fossils are needed to tell whether the large build was typical.